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Ferrobel
The Ferrobel are a Xenos Species originally hailing from the third planet in the Sigma-Delta-Zeta system. Relatively small due to low birth rate, they nevertheless are a significant force in the North-to-Northeast fringe where the Imperium has no presence and is north of the Tau Empire. Despite being peaceful by nature, the harsh reality's of the the Galaxy force them to fight and has made them a formidable fighting force in the Galaxy. They currently control 89 systems. History The Ferrobel species is an ancient species, but only achieved FTL space travel around M33. Before that they were confined to their sector (designated Sigma-Delta-Zeta by Imperial Astronomers) and used what primitive rockets they had for Asteroid Mining, and massive colony ships to settle other nearby systems. Some time in mid M33 they discovered how to make an effective FTL drive called the Deep Drive. Using that they began to settle suitable planets all across the Northern Fringe of the Galaxy and began spreading down the Northeastern Fringe. Imperial Contact In M39 a Rouge Trader Fleet entered a system that was inhabited by by the Ferrobel. While at first wary of a new sentient race, the Rouge Traders were much relived to find them unaggressive though neither spoke the others language. After spending several years using a rough form of sign language to conduct trade, the more intelligent Ferrobel figured out how to speak a rough form of low Gothic and more open communication was enabled. This led the Rouge Traders to discover how wide spread the Ferrobel were and they decided to finally report the new Xenos Species to the Administratum. Due to the fact that there is virtually no Imperial Presence near them, their own unaggressive nature, and the fact that most planets the Ferrobel settle have poor conditions for human settlers have lead the High Lords to decide to ignore them. Tau Contact In M41 the Tau made contact with the Ferrobel shortly before the Damocles Gulf Crusade occurred. While the Ferrobel were interested in new trade partners they were not enticed by the idea of the Greater Good. Given how the Ferrobel's native language is nearly impossible to other species to learn and completely impossible to speak, the Water Caste ambassadors made little head way. Unfortunately the Tau then decided to try and induct them into the Tau Empire by force. The Ferrobel did not take kindly to this and gathered a large armada that was powerful enough to drive the Tau back, though they did let them take the few Tau remaining on Ferrobel worlds back. Biology The Ferrobel are a Bipedal species similar to mammals that range from 2.4-3.1 m tall. They are broad in the Torso (about 1.2-1.5 m) and Limbs and have 2 arms with 4 Clawed fingers and Thumb. They have short legs and fingers which make them seem clumsy at first, but most are capable of extreme grace when necessary. Their mouth has mostly Canine type teeth and is extremely powerful with a nearly 5,000 psi bite force, which is good at crushing but poor at chewing, which they make up for with powerful stomach acids. On either side of their mouth they grow large tusk-like horns that are used by the Ferrobel to break hard material by twisting their heads. They reach full maturity at around 30 solar years. Their most distinguishing feature is the fact they grow metal plates that cover most of their body by eating rocks with high metal ore densities. By an unknown biological process they somehow refine the ore inside their body, where upon it forms protective carapace-like plates all over their body, (excluding joints), with a helmet like plate over the head and tusks. Microscopic examination of the exposed skin at joints shows a thin fabric-like metallic weave. The sum total of this is that, while very heavy and slow, they are enormously durable. Mentally, the average adult Ferrobel is at or slightly below average human. As a species they tend to fluctuate very little in terms of intelligence having few who suffer from metal retardation and few genius's. By contrast their physical strength far outstrips virtually all other sentient life forms encountered by the Imperium. As a species that survives in the harshest environments and evolved to crush and crack stone with no more than their arms and mouths they rival Ogryn and Astartes in strength. Unlike intelligence, strength varies widely throughout the species with the strongest able to move battle tanks with strength alone. However their sheer size and mass at times works against them, as the fastest among them is can only match the speed of the average human. Another curious weakness is their reliance on gravity to survive as being in a zero-gravity or free fall environment is dangerously unhealthy for them. The minimum gravity required for them to remain healthy for extended periods of time appears to be .45 G's. Anything less and the Ferrobel begins to suffer from heavy skeletal and muscular deterioration within a few days. According to the Ferrobel themselves, this dependency upon gravity is what prevented them from developing interstellar travel for so long, despite developing earlier than Humanity. Psykers The Ferrobel are a relatively active psyker race with 1 in every 6,000 being born a psyker compared to the 1 in millions of humanity. However, while humans can reach Alpha and Beta level psykers, Ferrobel seldom reach Delta and there is only 1 known Gamma. Those born with the psyker gene are shorter than the majority of their species but have slightly larger and more developed brains. This leads to them being more intelligent than non-psykers, as a result they tend to work as leaders of research teams and religious leaders. The most common use of their power is the creation of Kyantine, a unique psycho-metal used by the Ferrobel. The majority of their species are minorly psychically active at Iota to Lambda range. Blanks are as uncommon among Ferrobel as they are among Humans Society & Religion Ferrobel Society is a caste system of Builders, Warriors, and Religious which are based around. Each caste has it's own form of aristocracy based around those who are most skilled at their various tasks. While Psykers can be found in each of the Castes, there are no non-psykers in the Religious caste. Each caste are differentiated by the metal alloy composing their natural armor. Builder caste The largest caste, the Builder caste is composed of all those who work as farmers, metal and stone workers, engineers, scientists, and other occupations not found in the Religious and Warrior. 90% of the species falls into this category and they are the most common caste encountered by the Imperium. Their armor is generally composed of a ferric alloy. Warrior caste Originally the smallest caste, after meeting the Rouge Traders and a brief confrontation with Orks, it rapidly changed to become the second largest caste with roughly 9% of their species. Those who join the Warrior caste are typically those who enjoy combat and confrontation or are skilled in medicine, with the ruling elite being the largest males with the most experience. The armor of the Warrior Caste is formed by consuming rock rich with high durability metals such as Adamantine. Religious caste Smallest of the castes, the Religious caste is similar to the Imperium's Ecclesiarchy, with the Psykers serving as priests. Unlike other psychically active species, the Ferrobel use their Psychic power solely for communing with the 'spirits' of their Religion as well as a form of Divination. The metals in the Religious castes armor are generally composed of soft metals such as gold and silver and often engraved with strange runes and symbols. Triumvirate Each planet and major space station is ruled by a Triumvirate comprised of one elected member from each Caste. The Race as a whole is ruled by a Triumvirate of members chosen from the three most influential planets. Earth Worship The Religion of the Ferrobel is based around the worship of a strange pantheon of what translates as 'Earth Spirits' which fall into three categories; Planet, Moon, and Void. Moon are the weakest spirits and the strongest are the Void Earth spirits and mightiest among their pantheon is a being referred to a the Bright One. The Ferrobel claim that the Bright One is a mighty being who brings light to the depths of the Warp and many Imperial Scholars believe they may be referring to the God-Emperor. This belief is furthered by the fact that the Ferrobel claim that Space Marines are distant children of the Bright One. One odd part of their religion is that of the old Forger who supposedly taught the Ferrobel how to shape metal. Their name for him translates directly to Vaul, one of the old Eldar Gods. Technology The Technology of the Ferrobel varies widely in how advanced it is based on what it involves. The metal and stone working as well as gravity manipulation of the Ferrobel currently surpasses anything in the Tau empire or Imperium being surpassed only by the Eldar and relics from the Dark Age of Technology. Similar to the Tau and unlike the Imperium the Technology of the Ferrobel is still advancing and seemed to speed up after their confrontation with the Tau. Until M40 the Ferrobel lacked any form of shielding technology relying instead on excellent point-defense weapons and durable hulls to protect their spacecraft. Recently they have begun to use a rough, but effective, form of Gravity shielding that forms a sphere around the source and they have even adapted it for their infantry. Void-craft Ferrobel Void Craft tend to be large, bulky, and heavily armored craft. Many warships are re purposed mining ships, and therefore built to survive a pounding from debris. As they did not invent a form of shielding until recently, most of their vessel's defenses are its thick hull, and superb point-defense lasers. The Deep Drive According to Ferrobel legend, they originally attempted to use a Warp Based FTL drive for interstellar travel. However as a psychic race, traversing the warp is dangerous and as they never developed a equivalent to the Geller field, all they could tell was that ships would disappear and never return. After over a dozen failures to survive warp travel they eventually worked on an alternative to using the Warp, the Deep Drive. Instead of opening a portal to the warp, the Deep Drive pulls a ship into a plane of existence that the Ferrobel describe as 'under the material universe' hence the name Deep Drive. Little is known about this plane except that the Ferrobel use gravity manipulation to pull themselves through as regular propulsion does not work. Given that they only tend to make short jumps with it, some Mechanicus Tech Priests believe that as distance increases the time spent increases exponentially making it faster to do multiple jumps rather that 1 long jump. A intact Deep Drive has yet to be recovered by the Imperium as the Ferrobel are extremely protective of it over all their other technology. Kyantine Technology Based around an artificially grown crystal called Kyantine by the Imperium, Kyantine technology is prevalent throughout most of the Ferrobel architecture, weaponry, and vehicles. Grown and shaped through a form of psychic stimulation similar to the Eldar's Wraithbone Kyantine shaping is seen as a holy art practiced by the Religious caste of the species. While Wraithbone is crystallized warp energy given shape by a bonesingers song, Kyantine is created from a pool of a unknown liquid metal alloy by the rumbling chant of a Ferrobel psyker. One crystallized the kyantine can be manipulated through various forging methods used by the Ferrobel. The most skilled psykers however can get the Kyantine to form the shapes required without the need for forging. The uses for Kyantine in the society range from a high quality building material, to weapons and vehicles. Unlike Wraithbone however it cannot be used as a conduit for psychic energy to create light and heat in the way the Craftworlds are built requiring the Ferrobel to still use fusion and plasma generators for power. It does however form the basis of their gravity manipulation technology which is considered some of the best in the Galaxy. The Gravity shielding of the Ferrobel comes in two basic forms; ship-based and land-based. The Ship based gravity shielding works by using a dual layer gravity field projected around the ship to warp space whenever a projectile would hit it to make it so that the projectile merely goes around it rather than hitting it. Whenever protecting from large bombardments the ship itself seems to distort as light is twisted by the distorted space. The land based shields (such as personal and tank shields) use instead bursts of projected gravity to deflect projectiles. Gravitic Celestial Manipulation Weapons The greatest weaponry the Ferrobel possess is called the Gravitic Celestial Manipulation weaponry (or GCM weapons) by the Adeptus Mechanicus and are among the most potent weapons in the Galaxy. Using a Kyantine based computer to control the energy used by them. Seen by the Ferrobel to be Sacred objects as well as weapons, they are rare and powerful, and not a single example has been obtained by the other species in the Galaxy. Most are only mounted on the largest of war machines, Guardians and Void ships, but more recently some have even begun appearing in the hands of infantry forces. The basic concept of the weapons is that they manipulate gravity, as well as another unidentified power from the planet it's effecting to manipulate the matter of the planet itself. The secondary force generated by the weapon is created by the Kyantine sections of the weapon using specialized computer chips to synchronize the pulses. When synchronized, the two forces combine into a more amplified force, exponentially larger than the input energy, which is used to manipulate the 'earth' of any sufficiently sized planetoid. Long observation and careful investigations have revealed that the weaponry can only manipulate objects based around elements in the 1-47 range (Hydrogen to Silver) and only while in a solid or semi-solid state, and with a total mass of 85 billion tons. Examples of the weapons include (ordered from smallest to largest); # Gaia Cannon; Smallest of the weapons, it is capable of being carried by a single Ferrobel and is used as a Heavy Support weapon. It is capable of manipulating the battlefield itself by causing fissures to form or seal, as well as cause massive spikes of earth to erupt from the ground. It represents the pinnacle of GCM weaponry in terms of precision as well as compactness. # Titan Bane; Mounted on some of the Guardian systems, the Titan Bane is a massive set of spires in the shape of a Pyramid. Using massive fusion generators to power it, it functions by drawing a massive amount of earth into it which it then condenses into a micro singularity (estimated mass of singularity is 400,000 tons) which is launched at enemy titans. A single impact of the singularity is enough to shatter mountains, and the spatial warping created by the singularity is enough to circumvent most forms of shielding. The downside is that the minimum range it is capable of being used at however is 12 kilometers, as any closer and the Guardian itself might be damaged from the shockwaves produced from the impact. # Earth Breakers; The oldest form of Kyantine weaponry, the Earth Breakers are ship mounted superweapons of power comparable to Nova Weapons. Used originally for mining purposes, the Earth Breakers are used to exert tremendous gravitational forces on large asteroids, moons, and even planets in order to break off pieces small enough for the mining ships to process. While a single Ferrobel ship may possess the power to move a reasonably sized asteroid, several can alter the orbit of a moon, and large enough fleets have managed to tear planets apart. Used currently as the Ferrobel's means of enacting Exterminatus level destruction via asteroid bombardment or planetary destruction. Military The Military of the Ferrobel is composed of the societies' warrior caste of larger and/or more violent males and females. Unlike most militaries it lacks a strict Hierarchy and only has a few officers with most infantry receiving orders directly from their generals. While fewer in number than most of their foes the Ferrobel make up for it in the durability and strength of its members, making even the lightest armed equal to most other armies heavy infantry. Frenzy-Forged & Battle-Forged Occasionally, a larger male will, after long years of war, go mad and become prone to mad frenzies in the midst of battle. Those who fall prey to this are dubbed the 'Frenzy-Forged' (closest Gothic translation) and gathered into squads to be unleashed in need upon enemy armor. Given a form of powered claws and dosed with powerful drugs to allow them to move faster, the Frenzy-Forged will tear even heavy tanks apart if they can get near enough. Each will serve as a nigh-unstoppable juggernaut until either their head is destroyed or the drugs kill them. Those large males that survive the long battles and avoid madness eventually become the closest thing to petty officers they have, the Battle-Forged. Having proved their worth and desire to continue the war to protect their species, they are given the best wargear and allowed to operate independently on their own judgement. Gradually like-minded soldiers will gather to him forming his own battalion. Thus, whenever a new general is needed they appoint the Battle-Forged with the largest following. Psykers Unlike both the Imperium and Eldar who routinely utilize psykers on the battlefield, the Ferrobel hardly ever have their psyker fight directly, typically having them serve as advisers, tacticians, and chaplains. Tactics As a whole, the majority of Ferrobel strategy revolves around defending. As a slow but durable race, they have become renowned across the Segmentum Obscurus and Ultima for their nigh impregnable defense, but rather poor assault and conquest skills. Part of the reason for this is that the Ferrobel have realized what a small force they are in the galaxy comparatively and choose to fortify what they have and expand only slowly. Another reason is that in late M40, their psyker priests began to have visions of the approaching Tyranid fleets and realized that they must prepare as much as possible for their arrival if they are to survive. Weaponry The Ferrobel excel in warfare despite their naturally peaceful nature. In the face of a brutal and uncaring universe the only way to survive was to militarize, and they rose to the challenge magnificently. Due to their skill in metal and stone working the Ferrobel specialize in Kinetic and Laser based weaponry. Using some arcane technology they somehow grow excellent focusing crystals for their laser weaponry. Infantry weaponry Due to the Ferrobel species' natural size and durability, they possess no equivalent to Imperial small arms, with many of their weapons being large enough to work as anti-armor weapons. Their primary infantry weapons are a kinetic weapon similar to a heavy stubber that utilizes a micro linear accelerator instead of a combustible propellant, and a large laser weapon powered by a fusion pack worn on the users back. Larger weapons include a gravity weapon capable of throwing light tanks,a continuous laser weapon that can melt through most armor if focused long enough, and a strange weapon called the Gaia Cannon by the Imperium. Through some unknown means the Gaia Cannon can somehow manipulate the Earth itself, creating or sealing fissures and causing massive stalagmites to burst from the ground. Recently Some infantry commanders have taken to using a portable grav-shield projector on the field. While granting them great durability, it limits them to carrying only smaller weapons. Aircraft Being so large and heavy, the Ferrobel never took to aircraft very much, leaving their only air support a heavy bomber/gunship vulnerable to smaller fighters. Tanks The Ferrobel have some of the largest tanks currently in use in the Galaxy with their light carrier rivaling the Land Raider in size. Unlike their aircraft the Ferrobel excel in terms of tanks, typically fielding slow, but enormous, tanks with enough fire power to rival tanks from the Great Crusade. Guardians After learning of the existence of war machines such a Ork Gargants and Imperial Titans, the Ferrobel built the Guardians to counter them. Each Guardian rivals the mighty Capitol Imperialis in size and are equipped solely to battle titan class threats. Each one is both unique and irreplaceable due to the sheer resources and rare equipment that went into them. Typically mounted on quad-treads or 6 enormous legs they are a fearsome sight on any battlefield and each is equipped with multiple anti-titan weapons as well as a single unique super-weapon. The only one known to the Imperium carries a massive railgun and is capable of disabling a Titan's void shield in a single volley of it's weaponry. Current estimates claim there cannot be anymore than 40 or 50 of Guardians at most. In truth, the sheer size of Guardians make them more similar to the Ordinatus weaponry of the Mechanicus than Titans. So far the Tau are the only race to have actually encountered them on the battlefield during their attempt to force the Ferrobel to join their Empire. Relations Eldar The Eldar have had the longest relation with the Ferrobel as another planet in their home system was an Exodite World. Aside from the Dark Eldar, they get along quite well and their relationship predates the Fall of the Eldar. The Ferrobel see the Eldar as mysterious, aloof, but wise guardians of peace. For their part, the Eldar consider the Ferrobel something of a novelty race, young, but more patient than the Mon Keigh and for the most part pleasant. While rare, it is not unknown for Ferrobel to visit and even fight to protect Eldar Craftworlds and Exodite Worlds. Their relationship is so close that there are many Ordo Xenos Inquisitors who believe that the Eldar had something significant to do with their evolution and technological development. Indeed, both the Eldar and Ferrobel themselves agree that it is likely that some faction of pre-fall Eldar were responsible. From the shared worship of Vaul, to their Kyantine serving as a analogue to Wraithbone (if less useful), the similarity between the 2 is undeniable. Imperium The relation between the Imperium and the Ferrobel is somewhat complex. While the Imperium has next to no presence near the Ferrobel due to that part of space being beyond the Astronomicon in the Halo Stars, the Adeptus Mechanicus has remained interested in the technology employed by the Ferrobel. Knowing how large the Imperium is by comparison to them, the Ferrobel do everything in their power to avoid conflict with them and the Administratum has deemed them as unimportant. Some Inquisitors, especially in the Ordo Malleus will sometimes employ Ferrobel as Sanctioned Xenos due to their great resilience to corruption. Tau When the Tau attempted to forcibly integrate the Ferrobel into their empire they permanently damaged relations between the two. Before the war between the two, the Ferrobel considered the Tau as a young and naive race that may grow into a decent ally and the Tau believed the Ferrobel to be little better than the Kroot. After the war the Ferrobel declared the Tau unworthy of their trust and have worked to hinder their expansion while the Tau treat them with much greater caution. Rixari As the southern neighbors of the Ferrobel, it was only ever inevitable that the two species would come into contact. As dwellers of opposite environments made things difficult between them from the start. Given the differences between their races, cultures, and religions conflict was inevitable and a small war eventually erupted that ended in a stalemate. While the Rixari had superior technology in many of the cases, the sheer durability and enormous strength of the Ferrobel were enough to overcome even the Rixari's superior size. Eventually the destruction of a Rixari colony planet via a Ferrobel fleet pushing it's moon into the surface showed both sides that if not stopped soon it would end in one sides extinction. Today the two races still distrust each other and have a carefully guarded neutral zone separating them. Tyranids If there is any race the Ferrobel truly hate, it is the Tyranids, (their phrase/name for them translates to Corrupt Flesh). While they have had little interaction so far, they have been preparing for their arrival for a millennia before their arrival thanks to visions their priest hads of the Hive Fleets. Chaos As a psychic race, the Ferrobel risk corruption just like Humans. Unlike Humanity, their psykers tend to be very stable and less prone to Daemonic possession. On the other hand, according to Ferric legends their psykers used to use their powers in a far more similar manner to Imperial sanctioned psykers which made them far more vulnerable. In terms of those who are corrupted it varies widely between the various Chaos gods. * Nurgle- The Ferrobel only get sick rarely and have a smaller pain receptor than humans leading virtually none to follow Nurgle. * Khorn- The Chaos God which they fall to most commonly. While any corruption is rare, there are many of the Frenzy-Forged and Battle-Forged that have fallen into the service of Khorn over the millennia where they are some of his favored servants. * Tzeench- The second most number of corrupted Ferrobel follow Tzeench. His followers come from those psykers who choose to use their power for purposes other than worship and divination. * Slannesh- the only Chaos God to have no followers from the Ferrobel. As their species as a whole has little concept of luxuries and excess is a strange concept for them, no corrupted Ferrobel has ever fallen into the worship of Slannesh. Notable Ferrobel As the Ferrobel language is incomprehensible to other races, many of the names presented are those either given to them by Eldar, Tau, or the Imperium. Gorath the Beloved- A powerful Ferrobel who was considered something of a combination of Warrior and Artist. Gave great aid to the Eldar of Craftworld Alaitoc on numerous occasions and cemented the great pact that exists between the two races today. Ever after, the Eldar of Craftworld Alaitoc will occasionally call upon the Ferrobel for aid in battle and the Ferrobel will always inevitably answer the call. Fio Or'es- One of the Greatest generals in Ferric history. Was responsible for driving back the attempted Tau Conquest from Ferrobel space. Afterwards drove for faster increases in Technological development as well as designed several new class of starships himself. His crowning creation was the Starship dubbed the Adamantine Titan by the Imperium. Larger than any Imperial Battleship at nearly 30 Km long, it is capable of storing a small fleet and can challenge Tyranid Hive fleets as well as split small moons in half with its weaponry. Sten- A sanctioned Xenos working with Inquisitor Justinian of the Ordo Militum. He serves the Inquisitor as a bodyguard in his duties of watching over the Imperium's military forces in the Segmentum Ultima. Those foolish enough to attack or try to assassinate the Inquisitor are confronted by the 3 meter tall Xenos. Many a traitor has died when their agent choose to reveal them when they are threated with being torn limb from limb by the terrifying creature. Petrosen- A Sanctioned Xenos working for Inquisitor Saul of the Ordo Hereticus in the Sol Segmentum. Given the shared veneration of the God-Emperor (or Bright One as he is called by the Ferrobel) Petrosen shares the Inquisitors fervor. Perhaps one of the most linguistically oriented of his kind Petrosen speaks both Low and High Gothic quite fluently. Korath the Wrathful- A Ferrobel fallen to the service of Khorne, and leader of all others that have fallen. A Battle-Forged before his fall, he is a ruthless tactician and a nigh-unstoppable force on the battle field. After ascending to becoming a Daemon Prince by killing 2 other Khornate Daemon Princes and offering their skulls to Khorne he has become one of Khorn's favored servants. Most notably he still retains a sense of Honor and will restrain his forces from killing non-combatants. As a mighty warleader, he has slain all those corrupt Ferrobel who would not follow him. Notable Wars Crushing of Kraksmasha's WAAAGH (Ca 500.M36) - Due to their relative isolation on the Galaxies edge, the Ferrobel's first contact with the Orks was when a minor WAAAGH reached them in the Halo Stars sometime around M36. Prior to this, the Ferrobel had never encountered a hostile force of such size and their Eldar neighbors had always worked with them rather than fought them. Over the course of at least a solar decade, the Ferrobel society was forced to adapt to a harsh truth; while the Eldar might treat them as allies, far more of the Galaxy was full of those who could not be reasoned with. A multitude of changes occurred in Ferrobel society came about as a result, ranging from the establishment of the Warrior Caste and massive development of weapons, tanks, and other things required for a full military. 'Border Wars (776-782.M38) '- A War that erupted between the Ferrobel and their southern Rixari neighbors. Considered the first major trial for the new Ferrobel warfleet, the war would continue to escalate as time went on, culminating in the destruction of one of the Rixari planets when the Ferrobel fleet pushed the planet's moon until it impacted the planet. At this point the two species realized that the war if continued, would end in at least one races extinction and the others severe weakening. A treaty was enacted that ended the war, and a uninhabited neutral zone exists to seperate the 2. Quotes By About add your own Category:Xenos Species